Mary went to the E.R.

She's just fine! But she had a fever most of the day and a huge swollen ankle with a nasty sore on it. She's been wearing shoes without socks and it got infected. So she's on antibiotics to clear the infection. We just didn't want it to spread and make her very Very sick. Fun Fun...the joys of being parents. She was her bright and chipper self this evening, what a load off. Love ya'll byeee

Sam moved out of the crib

Poor baby! I put him in his new bed to take a nap yesterday and he played around for about an hour. When it was quiet for about 20 minutes, I figured he was asleep. I went in to check it out and he popped up and started babbling at me, obviously ready to come out. He was in a great mood, so I just said "heck with it" and let him go. At dinner he couldn't stay awake any longer. It's so adorable when they fall asleep in the highchair. We were all laughing. He slept all the way til 7:30 this morning. I'm sure he'll get the hang of it sooner or later.

Tuesday Morning

I had a doctor appointment early this morning. It took all of about 10 minutes. I love that. I'm so glad everything is going so great. I had to get "checked" though, so I'm gonna feel kinda sick all day. The doctor said that I'm dialated to a 1 and he could feel the baby's head right there, which is awesome. He's getting all ready to come out! I'm washing my crib set today. I got it at a yardsale. It's winnie the pooh. It's so cute. I'm really excited.
Yesterday we loaded a bunch of stuff in the back of Jared's truck to declutter the house. He took it to Good Will this morning. I am nesting in a big way. I'm almost done with a cute quilt that Lucille and Dad sent to me. I'm sewing the edge on. I decided on a triangle design. I will post pictures when I'm done. Hope everyone is doing well this morning!

Happy Birthday Suzy!

Suzy just turned well...another year older! Happy Birthday Sug! We went out together today to get a pedicure! It was the greatest! They gave us back massage chairs and they massaged our legs and feet too! It was luxurious to the point of being almost sinful. Check out the cute polish we both picked out. We decided to go bold! haha Then we went and bought some cute flip-flops together! It was a fabulous day. I just love living by my sweet Sis. Love you sugie!!!!!

I only have 4 weeks and 5 days left.

I am counting down the days to my delivery. I am getting so tired and large! My feet were so swollen at church that my shoes were really tight. Anyways, it comes with the territory. Well. this week was good, lemme esplain,.. no is too long. Lemme sum up.
I went to the doctor on Tuesday, which took about 10 minutes from start to finish because everything is going so great that I have nothing to discuss with him. I'm not complaining, it's great. I just hate getting all the kids ready and driving across town to his office every week. I need to make some excuse not to see him next week because I have to get checked and also get my strep culture and I don't want to! I hate when it comes to the end when I have to get "checked" every week.
What else...we had the missionaries over for dinner this week. That was great. I really like doing that. Well, Jared just told me lunch is ready (bless his heart), so I'll blog again later today. I was thinking of doing some cool stuff on here, but we'll see. Bye for now.

Carnival Time at Carfax

Every year Carfax holds a carnival for their employees and their families, and it's completely free! I love Carfax! They are so good to their employees. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy. The kids had so much fun.

Jared had fun in California

He visited with Jim's family.
















And Justin's family.
He attended classes.

He had time to relax.

He took a ride on the trolley.

He saw some cool animals.

He had some great food.

It was all good.

Peace, out.

You've lost that blogging feeling

This is going to be a long blog!!! I've made 3 posts tonight! Check them all out!
Here is a picture of our house for all who haven't seen it yet. I am toying with the idea of painting the front door a different color. Any ideas for different colors that would look nice?

Anyways, this has been an amazing week for me. I got a lot done in preparation for my baby to be here. I washed all my baby clothes, toys, carseat, blankets. It's just so neat to look at a little tiny pair of socks and remember how small he is going to be.

The kids kept on showing me a bunch of critters they'd seen or caught. It was amazing. The variety of what is around here is so neat. We've seen it all-small snakes, possums, racoons, squirrels, rabbits, deer, fox, toads, groundhogs, moles, exotic birds like cardinals, bluejays, owls, and vultures. And last year there was a huge hatching of big fuzzy caterpillars that kept dropping on our deck from the trees, about 50 at least. It's crazy cool!

I just have so many feelings to convey tonight. I am so happy to have all of you for my friends and family. I love being able to share all the things that are happening in my life. This blog is just such a blessing to me (as corny as that sounds) I would never have the time to send pictures to everyone with such frequency as I can here. I love it! I love you all! I'm in a good mood, you know, pregnancy hormones and all.

Well here is one or two of my favorite recipes in the world for you to enjoy. Take my word for it, these are GOOD...

Fettuccine Alfredo w/ chicken

8 oz uncooked pasta (fettuccine)

cook according to package directions.

Sauce:

1/2 cup butter

1 Tbsp. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

dash of pepper

dash garlic powder

1 cup whipping (heavy) cream

1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

chopped fresh parsley (optional)

So, just melt butter, add flour and spices and then cream, milk, parmesan cheese and bring to a boil then remove from heat immediately. Toss with noodles and then top with chopped parsley if desired.

Chicken: I like to have chicken with this dish. I just have two boneless skinless chicken breasts and cook them on my george forman grill with some seasoned salt on them, or you can fry them in a little oil until they are nice and crispy. Cut into strips and serve with it. This meal tastes good with some hot bread and a vegetable.

Here's another great one:

Potato cheese chowder:

5-6 slices of bacon (fried and chopped up) reserve 1 Tbsp of the drippings and set aside bacon. Put the drippings into a pan and add:

1/2 cup onions (scallions are my fav)

3-4 ribs celery, chopped.

cook about 10 minutes until carmelized. then add:

1 14 oz can chicken broth

1 cup water

4-5 regular potatoes, cubed.

bring to a boil, simmer til tender (about 20 min.) then stir in:

2 cups half and half mixed with 2 Tbsp. cornstarch

Add salt and pepper to taste, put cheese & bacon on top. This meal tastes good with cornbread, heck you can even put some frozen corn in the soup and make a nice corn chowder too. It's so good.

Sugar Cookies w/ cream cheese frosting:

1 cup butter softened

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cream of tartar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. almond extract

3 eggs

3 1/2 cups flour

Throw this all together and then roll it out to about 1/3 in. thick (it's up to you how thin you have them, but I wouldn't suggest too thin because they will be crunchy!) then cut them out with cookie cutters and bake at 350 for 7 minutes.

Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese softened

2 Tbsp butter softened

2 tsp. vanilla

food coloring

4 cups powdered sugar

Just mix this together, adding 1 cup at a time of the powdered sugar (or you'll have a mess to clean up!) Our favorite is to make the frosting pink or yellow. This is enough frosting to put a thick layer on each cookie, which I just love. Don't forget the sprinkles!

I hope you all have a super week. Love you now!!!

Mr. Incredible doing it his own way...

Jared decided to vacuum the dining room today without even being asked. I couldn't resist this one. This is two different kinds of sexy.

The kids caught some critters...

Here's Jr. holding his toad. He found it in the neighbor's yard. He immediately made a "habitat" for it in our sandbox. Complete with sand, water, sticks, grass and weeds. Great!

Here is Mary holding a mushroom she pulled out of the back yard. It's the closest thing you will see to her touching a bug. She was proud of her little find.

Here is little Tommy Boy holding the toad, plus-check out his new summer haircut that he started and I had to finish.

This is a nest full of baby birds the kids found in a hollow tree. They were waiting for their mommy to come feed them!

This is a close-up of the mole. See below.

This is Isaac holding a mole that the dog dug up on the side of our house. It was a crazy looking creature. It had flipper arms and legs with fingernails on them and no eyes that we could see and a funny snout. Very strange indeed.

This is a green beetle that the kids found on our front porch this week. It was about the size of a 50 cent piece. Very cool.

Everything is turning green here!

Here is an updated picture of the green in our back yard... great idnit? You bet.

Hello Folks, and thank you for tuning in. We are having beautiful spring weather today. Partly cloudy, and 62 degrees. It is so nice that it makes me want to stay outside all day long (if it were not for the bugs that are arriving more and more every day). That's the price you pay for living in such a luxuriously green place.
This morning Isaac and Jr. both had dentist appointments, so they stayed home from school. When they got done at the dentist it was almost lunch time and they were not supposed to eat anything until the medicine wore off, so I couldn't send them to school hungry. We had a super fun day just hanging out together. We made fresh fruit salad this afternoon, and ate a bunch. Jared took Jr. & Isaac to cubscouts tonight. It's a chance for Jared to spend a little time with Isaac while Jr. is busy with scouts. I am slowly getting everything ready for our new baby, (whatever his name is) and I'm getting excited. Our dog Bo-Bo decided to dig a huge hole out on the side of the house. When I got out there to bring her in she was smiling with her tongue lolling out and dirt all over her snout and paws. I will have to clean her up before I allow her back upstairs tonight. What fun! And our cat decided to run away again. We bought him a collar last night and he hated it. Jr. had the swell idea to try to "walk the cat" today and he hooked on a leash. When they got outside the cat climbed down the sewer drain! Then Jr. pulled him out and he pulled so hard on the leash that the collar popped off. I'm sure we'll never see that cat again. haha Poor thing. Have a wonderful day people! Love ya

Jared made it home safely

Jared got home last night, and he looked as tired as I was. We took turns taking a nap today. Then he made me dinner! He also brought me some chocolate from San Francisco. At church I wore my macaroni necklace Jr. made for me. All the kids made cards for me, it was so sweet. I hope all of you had a good mother's day too. My cup runneth over. I am just overjoyed with life right now. It seems that everything is so beautiful around me. The forest in our back yard is so green. There are little woodland critters running all over back there. Jared is home, all the kids are doing great at school, and each day I get to spend my time with the people I love the most in the world-my family. I also get to feel the miracle of a living child moving inside my body-it is amazing. It takes my breath away. I'm so thankful for all my blessings. I want everyone to know how much our Heavenly Father loves them. He is so kind and merciful to us. I feel so glad to know Christ, and to have peace in this life.

To My Mother

For all the times you gently picked me up,

When I fell down,

For all the times you tied my shoes

And tucked me into bed,

Or needed something

But put me first instead.

For everything we shared,

The dreams, the laughter,

And the tears,

I love you with a special love,

That deepens every year.

-Author Unknown

I love you Mom!!!!!

WoooooHooooo! Jared comes home tomorrow!

I made it! I actually made it through the whole week without Jared! I can't believe I'm still alive after this whole week! I am going to take such a long nap when Jared gets home, it's going to be Rip Van Winkle all over again. This has been one of the hardest things I've done in my life. In other news, I have to tell you all what is going on here: Tommy cut his own hair yesterday. It was pretty much shorn to the scalp. I had to use the 1/8 inch clip on the clippers to fix it up. He looks like a little cancer patient. I'll have to post a picture of him when Jared comes back with my camera. Mary whispered into my ear today "Mommy, I hate boys"... I guess she's pretty much being smothered by boys both big and small. Poor thing. Jr. has been getting 100% on every spelling test this year, and even gets the bonus words right! He had a fieldtrip last Wed. to a nature center in Jefferson city. He came back talking about a live scorpion, a huge crocodile snapping turtle, and snakes. He was very excited. Isaac's teacher wrote in his friday folder this week "Isaac has had a tremendous year and has made awesome progress in all areas. I have enjoyed being his teacher. He is a very bright child, loves to learn, and has many friends!" It's sure nice to get that kind of feedback. Sam is my happiest kid. He loves to go outside barefoot in the mossy front yard. It was almost embarassing at the doctor's check up Tues. when he looked over Sam's feet and legs. He saw a bunch of little scrapes etc. from all the fun he's been having in the yard. The baby in my tummy has been moving quite a bit this week. He probably misses his Dad, I know I do. So, I'll have to post again after I have my nap...See you in about 20 years! Love ya'll.

I'm waiting for Jared to come home

I feel like a venus fly trap waiting for Jared to come close enough so I can devour him whole! I'm going to sink my teeth into him. lol It's been 6 days since he left, and only 3 more to go! I'm just doing the regular things I normally do when he is here... Laundry, dishes, and trash. I have a wonderful recipe for a clean home if anyone is interested!

Here goes: Decide on a daily routine. Mine is this: Each morning I start by gathering all the laundry and putting it right by the washer. Then I gather all the trash in every room and take it out to the garage. Then I start washing the dishes/or putting the clean dishes away if I already did the dishes the night before. You are 90% done already!!! All you have to do is work on the laundry in your spare time through the day and tidy up/make beds/vacuum, etc. It also helps to have a laundry basket/hamper in every room that never gets moved, and a garbage can in every room(however small it is). Just remember three things: Laundry, trash, and dishes. They are the housewife's three worst enemies. There you go, enjoy! How's that for a recipe. haha It's delicious!

Sunday Blues

Hello people!

I've got the Sunday blues, cause I miss my best friend and love of my life. Jared is in Sacramento, and I'm way out here feeling sad and lonely. I did have a pretty good day though. I went on a long drive with Suzy. We had fun looking through farmland on the outskirts of town. It was nice to get out of the house. The kids are having so much fun while Daddy is away. We had a campout in our livingroom with tents on friday night. Yesterday we went to a fun birthday party for 3 hours, and I fixed the kids favorite dinner-fettucini alfredo with chicken on top. Today we got to see cousins and go on a drive, so they were delighted. After we got home we went out in the yard for a while. I played catch with Isaac while the others were on the swing and trampoline. Sam was running around the yard like a wild little rascal. He was so happy to be free. He recently learned how to run and I think he forgot how to walk, he just runs now! Things are going much smoother than I thought they would. I just have a lonely time at night. I hope all of you are well and fine. I sure love ya! Byeeee